Being injured by another’s negligence carries the risk of serious harm. A personal injury victim can be forced to miss time from work, to undergo extensive medical treatment, and to suffer emotional distress. Anyone who has suffered such an injury should immediately take action so that their rights are fully protected. This article will discuss some of the most common types of personal injury cases in Florida and how they can be prevented.
Common Types of Personal Injury Cases
Car Accidents
Car accidents remain one of the most common ways in which an individual’s negligence results in harm to another. All drivers have a duty to exercise reasonable care when operating a vehicle. If another driver has breached this obligation, and has caused you to be in an auto wreck, then you have the right to seek compensation. Common examples of such cases include wrecks caused by speeding, illegal changes, distracted driving, etc. Avoiding such conduct, and paying attention to the road, is the best way for a driver to avoid injuring another. Unfortunately, many fail to do so.
Truck Accidents
Truck accidents can involve serious injuries to a defendant. They may even result in wrongful death due to the fact that an individual’s car is no match for an oncoming semi truck. Trucking accident cases can quickly become complicated as they often involve numerous defendants. These defendants can include the driver of the semi, the owner of the vehicle, third-party management companies, and other entities. It is important that all possible defendants be named or you may run the risk of not receiving the full amount of compensation to which you are entitled.
Truck accidents can sometimes be avoided through the trucking company’s proper hiring and supervision of drivers. Their failure to exercise proper hiring practices or supervision tend to be one of the leading causes of truck accident litigation.
Motorcycle Accidents
Florida’s beautiful weather makes it likely that people will ride their motorcycles for more of the year than they would in a colder climate. However, this increased use of motorcycles can also lead to increased accidents. In such cases, it is common for victims to suffer head trauma, even if they are wearing a helmet. Examples of such harm can include everything ranging from a concussion to a traumatic brain injury.
Drivers can avoid injuring a motorcycle rider by paying attention before changing lanes and obeying traffic laws. Their failure to do so is what often leads to litigation.
Pedestrian Accidents
A pedestrian is likely to suffer serious injuries if they are hit by an oncoming car. Such accidents can occur in a crosswalk, in a parking lot, or when an individual is walking across the street in an undesignated crossing area. Such accidents are often caused by a driver failing to pay attention to traffic signals and stop signs. These types of cases may also stem from a driver speeding, driving their car while distracted, etc. Injuries sustained in a pedestrian accident often include brain damage, spinal damage, broken bones, and even wrongful death.
Boating Accidents
The fact that our state is a peninsula means that we have a large boating population. This also means that we have a disproportionate number of boating accidents. Anyone who operates a boat off of our shores must take reasonable steps to ensure that they are doing so in a safe manner. This can include not operating the boat in a reckless manner, operating it at a reasonable speed, and not being intoxicated while driving the boat. It is not uncommon for boating accidents to result in a wrongful death as a victim may very well drown. While many boating accidents could be prevented by operating the vehicle in a safe manner, such incidents remain common.
Medical Malpractice
We trust doctors and medical professionals to follow the highest standards when caring for our health. Unfortunately, these professionals are people and are capable of making a mistake. When the malpractice of a doctor, a nurse, or a hospital causes harm to a patient then that victim will have the right to seek compensation. Examples of medical malpractice can include failing to administer care in a timely manner, misdiagnosing a patient, prescribing the wrong medication, and, in extreme cases, performing the wrong surgery. Medical malpractice cases are highly complicated and no two cases are the same.
Medical malpractice can be reduced, if not avoided, through the exercising of proper internal procedures by doctors and medical staff. When a lawsuit is necessary, it can often be traced to a failure to follow such procedures.
Slip and Fall Cases
Every property owner or manager is responsible for making their premises safe for those they allow on the property. This includes commercial businesses such as retail stores and restaurants, who must make the locations safe for their patrons. It also includes private homeowners, who must ensure that their residence does not pose a danger to anyone whom they invite into their home. If a property owner fails to take reasonable steps to make the premises safe then a victim may recover compensation. Cases resulting from a fall can result in serious harm to the victim. Such harm may include a traumatic brain injury, spinal cord damage, etc.
While regularly maintaining a property can help a property owner to avoid such cases, their failure to do so is what leads to litigation.
Contact a Florida Personal Injury Attorney If You Are the Victim of Negligence
If you have been the victim of another’s negligence then it is important that you contact a lawyer as soon as possible. You only have a limited amount of time in which to file a lawsuit and immediate steps must be taken to protect your interests. We are devoted to protecting the rights of individuals and we look forward to being of assistance. Call us today at 561-285-8745 or contact us online to speak with a Florida personal injury attorney.
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